by Janelle Mathis, University of North Texas, Denton, TX

At the beginning of each semester, many teacher educators are faced with the challenge of inviting secondary preservice teachers, as well as teachers already in classrooms, into the realization that picture books are not just for young readers and that many chapter books written for young adolescent readers can hold their own with the traditional literature of the cannon. The task is not an easy one since these individuals have entered their chosen field, frequently English Education, with a personal background that has focused on the traditional cannon. The majority of students I face have not read children’s or adolescent literature since they were in elementary or middle school and even those titles were limited. Continue reading →